conferences & conventions

[elus0814]

Do most of you attend conferences? I went to two last year, our first year of homeschooling, and will be attending two again this year. I really enjoyed being able to see things in person prior to purchasing, it's sometimes so difficult to decide what to buy from online descriptions and pictures.

[mom2ponygirl]

No, all the local conferences are religious based. I'm not interested in learning to be subservient to my husband or looking at creationist science texts.

[zjande]

You know, in 10 yrs of homeschooling I have never gone to a single conference or convention! Even though I would *love* to see lots of curriculum in person. That's all I'd go for personally, I'm never interested in the workshops. But I'd love to drool over some nice curriculum! (That is if my husband said that I could go, I do allow him to lead our household. *snicker* I couldn't help it! )

[Callimom]

I have in the past.
The local conferences are either religious or unschooling-specific. I wish there was a secular conference nearby.
I do go to a curriculum sale in the late spring and agree that looking at things in person is very helpful.

[dkenagy]

I live in SC and we have a statewide homeschooling support group called SCHEA that holds an annual convention. I've actually never been to it, but the group is not based on any one religion. I have gone every summer to the big convention in Altanta, GA. It is held by GHEA--I personally enjoy going to a few wksps, but I also know that you can pay a small fee to just go into the curriculum hall... that is my favorite part. There's only one homeschooling bookstore anywhere near me and it's TINY.

[elus0814]

I've gone to one Catholic one and one Christian one and even though we're Catholic and don't use protestant curriculum it's still really fun to peruse all the materials. Many of them are secular or only very loosely Christian, like math-u-see or real science for kids, which we use now and I first saw at conventions. I've only ever shopped at them, I've never gone to the sessions or talks. The large one also had a huge rainbow resource booth with all kinds of really great things I never would have thought about while looking through their catalog. It's also a great way to meet and spend time with other homeschooling families, I might not always share a religion with the families there but they are still great people and have never once tried to convert me .

[jlpumkin]

I was really looking forward to going the big state one this year but I think I'm sitting it out. The workshops didn't thrill me... and I'm afraid that a visit to the curriculum fair would turn into my buying/lusting after a bunch of stuff I don't need. I may visit the local Catholic one though for the spiritual inspiration.